A blog that I post on whenever I see something that makes me want to go off on a Republican (Libertarian every once in a while) rant. I will cover stories from all over the nation and world, but I will try to cover as many stories about my home state of Michigan as I can (I'll also talk a lot about Texas, because Texas is awesome!).

Posts Tagged ‘14-Year-Old’

Well, this is about the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in a while. Belleville, Illinois passed an ordinance last Monday that restricted trick-or-treating. That sounds normal, right, most cities limit the time that kids can trick-or-treat. But the city isn’t just limiting when; they’re also limiting who can trick-or-treat. And it also limits the wearing of masks, to only Halloween (unless you’re under 12).

Here’s an overview of the ordinance (unfortunately, Belleville is a little slow in uploading their meeting minutes, and all they have right now is a copy of the agenda, so this isn’t the exact wording of the ordinance):

Limits trick-or-treating on Halloween from 5:00 P.M. until 8:30 P.M.

Bans anyone in above the 8th grade (anybody older than 13 or 14) from trick-or-treating on Halloween, unless they are a “special-needs” child, and then they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Allows children age 12 and under to wear a mask and/or disguise any day of the year, but restricts anyone above 12 to being able to wear a mask and/or disguise only on Halloween.

Prohibits any and all child sex offenders from going to any event and/or holding any event for Halloween where any child (other than his/her own) will be present. Child sex offenders must also turn out their outside lights on Halloween night, and they are banned from handing out candy.

OK, so bullet points 1 and 4 I have no problem with. It’s 2 and 3 that I have an issue with.

But before I go on, let me give you some quotes that Mayor Mark Eckert told reporters:

We believe that Halloween is for little children. We just feel that we need to go that extra mile to protect the children.

We were hearing more and more about bigger kids knocking on doors after 9:00 at night and the people who lived in the homes were scared. The seniors were especially scared. They didn’t want to be the recipient of some kind of trick, but they didn’t want to open their doors late at night, either.

…

Sexual predators can’t have parties. It’s not right, it’s wrong. They lost that privilege.

OK, so I get the principle behind this, but here’s where you have a problem: Those teenagers out after 9:00 P.M. would be out past the overall curfew anyway, so they’d already be breaking the law. What is the need for another law here? If they’re out past 8:30, they can be arrested (I’m assuming that’s the punishment). So that right there would solve your teenagers out late problem. Banning trick-or-treating for anybody above the 8thgrade is simply ageism. You cannot discriminate against somebody like this. I’ll accept a curfew (although I have problems with those at times too), but to ban outright the practice of trick-or-treating for ANYBODY (other than felons who lose some rights when they’re convicted) is discrimination, and in my view, illegal!

Now, the mask/disguise ordinance. You’re telling me that a 16-year-old kid can’t wear a mask outside at a Halloween party the night before Halloween (Devil’s Night if you live here in Detroit)? Or what if a Star Trek convention comes to Belleville? Are you telling me that masks aren’t allowed? It’s ridiculous! Unfortunately, without the ordinance I don’t have the city’s legal definition of “disguise” but would this apply to people dressed up as Santa Clause? Are you going to haul away the Salvation Army Santa for being in a “disguise” on a day other than Halloween? It’s dumb. It restricts the Freedom of Speech (this isn’t a dress code in school we’re talking about here – this is just being out in PUBLIC generally!)! It’s asinine, ridiculous, and it’s unconstitutional.

I hope somebody old goes out and trick-or treats, or wears a mask the day after Halloween so that this can be taken to court and overturned. I’m a Law and Order Conservative – I abide by the laws. I don’t speed. I don’t drink underage. I’ve never stolen a candy bar. But when the law goes against Constitutional principles, it MUST be disobeyed so that it can be challenged in court, and this is one time where I say, “Break that law!”

Well, talk about your dumb criminals – today, Florida police officials released a tape of 6 girls beating a 16-year-old cheerleader from Mulberry High School, Victoria Lindsay. The attack was carried out so that the video could be put up on the internet. On March 30th, the girl was lured into a house in Lakeland, where two of the girls began yelling at the victim, while a third girl began to assault her, bashing her head into the wall. The girl then went unconscious. When she woke back up, 3 other girls joined in the attack and began to videotape it, laughing and cheering each other on. During the whole event, 2 teenage boys kept watch outside of the house (1 of the boys was an 18-year-old, and the only adult present). The 3 people from the group then forced ther girl into a car and drove her to another location.

The girl had a concussion, injuries to her left eye left ear, and several bruises.

So, police found the vido and have charged all 8 teenagers with felony battery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said that both the video and the attack were “shocking — I’ve never seen anything like it… this is outrageous behavior … It’s absolutely an animalistic attack. They lured her into the home for express purpose of filming the attack and posting it on the internet.” The fact that they did this just for the video means that I want more than ever for them to get the maximum punishment – they should be put away for life plus 10 years (life for the kidnapping, 5 for the false imprisonment, and 5 for the felony battery). For those who didn’t participate in the kidnapping, I’d charge them with conspiracy to kidnap, a first degree misdemeanor which gives them up to 1 year in prison, so a total of 11 years. There’s no reason that they shouldn’t go to jail for the rest of their lives – what they did was dispicable, and they need to pay.

While talking at a forum in a hall in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Obama told parents that “we’re not instilling the hunger to learn.” He mad the point that “it’s not all about money,” saying that children in China are going to school in dilapidated buildings, with outdated text books but they’re performing well because “they are hungry.”

Harrisburg teacher Jesse Rawls Sr. asked Obama, “How can we get inner-city kids to buy into education?” Obama responded by saying, “The only reason I’m standing here is because I got a good education. We need to change the attitude of kids … [and champion the idea] that everybody is our responsibility.”

He then detailed his plan that would “Identify ‘at-risk’ parents when they go to the hospital to deliver a baby, teach them to read, and encourage their child to get a good education.” (Pennlive.com)

While discussing the importance of reading at a young age, he said that “government can’t do everything,” and he told parents, “Turn off the television, turn off the video games.” He told parents, “don’t go to school and cuss out the teacher” when a note is sent home from the school about their children. He said that motivation must be given to students, especially 9th graders, who show a great lack in interest as they transition over to high school. He said that the mentality that “education is poured in your ear” and the students don’t have to do anything is utterly false and believing that mentality will have terrible consequences.

I’ve gotta say, I agree with Obama here. And this “it’s the parents’ mentality” is a pattern of his. Back in February, he told a crowd in Wisconsin, “We’re going to have to parent better, and turn off the television set, and put the video games away, and instill a sense of excellence in our children, and that’s going to take some time.”

My favorite quote from his whole speech was “government can’t do everything.” I just wish he would use this mentality when it came to health care. I like McCain’s plan of allowing people to get health care plans from other states (pushing for more competition between companies) MUCH better than either Clinton’s or Obama’s plans. For more on McCain’s positions about health care, see here.

Anyway, I do like the fact that Obama is saying that it’s the parents’ job, not the government’s to make sure that kids want to learn. The fact that he said this right as these stories, where parents weren’t doing their jobs, makes me feel a little happier about Obama, although I’ll still never vote for him (unless he were pro-life, then there’d be the chance, but I’d still vote for McCain over him):

America has got to get this problem of out of control kids under control, and it really does start with education. If kids are dedicated to education, they won’t go around plotting to stab their teacher, or flushing their newborn babies down the toilet (or even getting pregnant at all!).

Here’s a story from Baytown, Texas: In Cedar Bayou Junior High School, a 14-year-old 8th grader gave birth to a “near full-term” baby this yesterday morning and then tried to flush him/her (the sex has not been released at this point) down the toilet, killing the infant.

Lieutenant Eric Freed of the Baytown Police Department told reporters, “We understand that the baby was alive when it was born and that the girl attempted to flush the child down the toilet. The child died as a result of these actions.” A girl walked into the bathroom and heard the baby crying, but when she had gotten to the nurse and the principal, the child was already dead (KPRC Local 2 News).

Apparently, people didn’t even know that the girl was pregnant. “According to everyone I talked to, no one knew that she was pregnant. … The staff handled it beautifully. I can’t tell you they weren’t upset because they were. Everyone was upset. It’s a very upsetting situation. It’s a sad situation,” Kathy Clausen a representative from the Goose Creek Independent School District told reporters.

Police have said that the father is not yet known.

Police have also said that this case is being treated as a homicide, but investigators are making sure that the death was not an accident.

This case comes after another 14-year-old secretly gave birth to a baby earlier this week.

This case just saddens me, angers me, and shocks me. Did the girl NOT think that somebody would find out about this?

And what are these girls doing? I don’t mean to be vulgar, but if a 14-year-old girl can’t keep her legs together, she’s nothing but a whore. And to go and MURDER your OWN CHILD because you can’t accept the consequences of your actions shows that you are not MATURE enough to be having sex! (Not that I’m saying that even if she would have given birth to it and kept it that she wouldn’t have some serious problems). What is it with American teenagers and sex! Like I said in a previous post, there have been FIFTH graders caught having sex. That’s barely even POSSIBLE! 5th graders don’t even have to properly developed body parts to engage in sex!

This girl, assuming that this wasn’t an accident, and I don’t see how it could be, needs to be arrested and prosecuted with 1st degree murder, and in my mind given the death penalty. There’s no reason that this girl should not know what she did was murder, and frankly, she needs to be made an example of so that teenagers in the future DON’T do this (and yes, the law allows for somebody to be made an example of). Frankly, ANYBODY who commits infanticide should be given the death penalty. Otherwise we’ll wind up like Cuba. Cuba claims one of the lowest infant mortality rates, but that’s because they don’t include infanticide cases in infant mortality rates.

Stuff like this MUST be stopped, or we’re going to see future generations just crash and burn. I really hate to think about what America will become when today’s teenagers, and even my generation are the ones in power.